Washing-machine agitator.



H. L. STALEY.

WASHING MACHINE AGITATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1912 Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

WITNESSES.-

A ATTORNEY.

, tor, a rubber, or a barren s'rarns ma omen HARRISON L. ST/ALEY, or JiIIAItTINSVILLE, INDIANA.

WASHING-MACHINE AGITATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON L. a'citizen of the lvlartinsville, in the county of Morgan and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful \Vashing-Machine Agitator, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to a washing machine appliance that is known as an agitadolly and designed to be used in a tub or similar vessel for agitating the washing liquid and the articles to be cleansed, by rotary-oscillatory motion, the invention having reference more particularly to various features of construction of the agitator and its operating and controlling shaft.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved agitator for washing. machines that shall be so constructed as to most effectually cause centrifugal motion of the washing liquid during the washing operation, a particular object being to provide an agitator which shall prevent the washing liquid from escaping upward while being agitated to produce gyratory and centrifugal motion of the liquid.

A further object of the invention is to provide an agitator that shall be adapted to be cheaply produced and readily repaired when partially worn out and which shall be durable and economical in use.

WVith the above mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists inga rotary-oscillatory agitator having wings for producing ing fluid and v venting the flowof the liquid upward and over the tops consisting further in certain novel features of construction in agitators for washing machines, and in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a vertical central section of a washing machine tub to which the improved agitator is applied and provided with suitable operating mechanism; Fig. "2, a top planof the web part of the agitator; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view of the agitator approximately on the line A A in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, an inverted Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 29, 1913.

STALEY, United States, residing at centrifugal motion of the'wash-- provided with webs'for pre-.

of the wings, the invention 5 Serial No. 744,832. 1

plan view of the agitator partially broken away; Fig. 5, aperspective View of the operat ng and controlling shaft of the agitator; Fig. 6, a perspective of the-agitator; and Fig. 7,a central section of the hub portion on an enlarged scale.

View of the hub portion Patented Sept. 2 8, 1915.

Similar reference characters throughout f the several figures of the drawings indicate corresponding elements or features of constructionherein referred to.

As preferably constructed, a suitable vert1c al operating shaft isprovided which comprises a cylindrical upper portion 1 adapted to be rotatably supported and a lower guide portion 2 that is square in cross-section and has two longitudinal grooves 3 and 3 in two opposite'sides thereof respectively,

the grooves extending from the lower end.

of the shaft upward a suitable distance so as to form stop shoulders 4 and 4 at the upper ends of the grooves. When the struc ture iscompleted, a stop pin 5 is tightly secured in the lower end portion of the shaft extends into the transversely there f and An agitator hub 6 is provided two grooves. which has a receive the squared portion of the shaft, the hub thereon and in operation is turned by the shaft, the hub having two stop projections squared aperture 7 therein to being mounted onthe shaft to slide 8 and 8' on the inner side of the wall there- .1

of that extend into the grooves 3 and 3 respectively and respectively or With the end portions of the pin 5. The hub has. four identically shaped horizontal arms 9,9, 9", 9" thereon that are plate-like in form and extend radially from the hub,and each arm has two flanges 10 and 11 on opposite edges thereof, the flange 10 of one arm being formed integrally with the flange 11 of the adjacent arm, and when the hub is in normal position the flanges extend downward from the arms. The end of each arm has a (slot 12 or 12 therein to receive a retaining bolt.

A suitable number of agitator wings or blades are provided and suitably secured to the arms of the hub, four wings preferably being employed so that two wings 13 and 13 are formed integrally of one piece of wood and two similar wings 14 and 14 are 'formed integrally of another piece of wood,

may be moved into contact either with the shoulders 4 and 4C I the middle portion of one piece having a squared hole therein,

tion 2 of the operating vstop pin 5. The several wings or blades are arms of the hub and extending onto the end portions of the several wings or bladesand f provided respectively with a downwardly projecting finger 16'or 16 for moving the clothes or fabric to and fro in the tub as is customary. A tie-plate 17 is placed against the under side -of the wooden piece that forms. the two wings 13 and 13' and closes the hole 15, the-plate having two retaining bolts 18 and 18' that extend through the two wings and upward through the two 'slots 12 and 12 respectively of two of the arms of the hub, twosimilar bolts 19 and 19 being placed in the remaining two wings so as to extend upward through the slots of the remaining two arms. The normal upper sides or tops of the wings have recesses 20 to receive the arms of the hub.

The webs of the agitator wings or blades may be variously provided and preferably are produced by means of a disk 21 having a central aperture 22 therein that receives the hub 6, the disk being placed upon the fixedly secured by means of the retaining bolts which obviously are provided with nuts and heads,

The disk, as will be seen, serves to web the upper portion of the wings 'or blades, the

latter beingreinforced by the flanges 10 and firmly fix them relativeto the ing shaft, and supports;.-also a toothed gear wheel 27 which is secured to the shaft and serves as a collar to hold up the shaft in normal position. The gear wheel-is rotatably moved forward or backward by a suitably guided rack bar 28 and a lever 29, the

latter being connected by means of a pivot 30 .to a jaw 31 secured to the tub, the lever being connected by means of a pivot 32 to the rack bar. The operating gearing obviously may be of various construction, the agitator being designed for use in various types of washing machines.

In practical use, the gearing is actuated so as to impart rotary-oscillatory motion to the operating shaft of the agitator. lhe

wings or blades and the fingers thereof bear down upon the clothes or fabrics and transthe disk having holes 23 or. .23 through which the bolts extend.

mit their motion thereto? and in theoperations may move up or down relative to the guide portion of the operating shaft. The to and fro movement of the wings or blades cause the washingfluid to be forced outward toward the wall :of the tub and unless restrained or confined, the water would be forced upward and escape over the tops of the wings more easily than to be forced cen trifugally and through the fabrics, the liq-. uid, however, in the present case being confined by the webbing of the wings so that the liquid is most efficacious in performing the cleansing operations.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a washing machine agitator, the combination of a circular disk, a hub inserted in the disk andextending from the normal lower side thereof, arms fixed on the hub and extending against the lower side of said disk,wings seated on the lower side of the arms respectively, the outer portion of the arms being in contact with the lower side of said disk, and a plurality of bolts extending through said disk and also through the wings respectively, the bolts rigidly securing the wings and the disk to the arms.

2. In a washing machine a gitator, the combination of a circular disk, a hub inserted in the disk (1 extending from the normal lower side tlfereof, arms fixed on the hub and extending against the lower side of the disk, each arm having an opening therein, wings seated on the lower side of the arms respectively, the upper side of each wing being recessed, the redess'receiving the adjacent arm,the outer upper portions of the arms being in contact with said disk, and a plurality of bolts extending through said disk and also through said wings respec tively and through the openings of said arms respectively, said bolts rigidly securing said wings and'said disk to said arms and said wings directly to said disk.

3. In a washing machine agitator, the

combination of a circular disk, a hub insertt ed in the normal lower side of the disk, four arms fixed on the hub and having each a slot in its end, the upper sides of the arms extending against the lower side of said disk, two pieces of wood that are recessed and crossed at their middle portions and forming four wings, the normal upper sides of the wings being recessed, eachrecess receiving an arm, the outer upper portions of the wings extending against the lower side of said disk, the middle portion of each piece forming said wings having each a hole therein, two bolts extending through said disk and the said slots in two of said arms and also through two of said wings and rigidly securing the disk and the wings to the arms, a shaft extending movably through said hub and said holes, a tie-plate seated on the combination with receiving the lug,

lower side of the middle portion of the lower one of said pieces and onto the wings formed thereby, said tie-plate extending across said holes and being movable by said Wings into contact with the lower end of said shaft, and two bolts extending through said disk and the said slots in the adjacent two of said arms and also through said tie-plate and the adjacent wings and rigidly securing the said several parts together. 1

4;. In awashing machine agitator, the a hub having an aperture therein, a lug in the aperture-fixed on the Wall of the hub, and arms 6n the hub, of a shaft extending movably in the aperture, 7

there. being a groove in one side of the'sliaft a pin inserted transversely in said shaft and extending into to be engaged by said lugs, said arms, and a tie-plate secured to said wings and extending opposite the end of the groove wings secured to ing through the hub, four flat arms on the I normal lower end of the hub, the end of each arm having a recess therein,

diately at, the lower end of the hub, and a plurality of flanges on the lower sides of the arms respectively, the flanges being on the opposite sides of the arms from the hub. In testimony whereof, I ailix my signature in, presence of two witnesses.

\ HARRISON STALEY.

Witnesses:

CoAsoN S. PARRISH, B. R. ELDRIDGE.

two lugs on the inner side of the hub extending into the Iaperture relatively near to but not imme- 

